Lead Editor

Role Description

ICS seeks a knowledgeable, judicious, and mission-driven professional to join our Editorial Team. This role combines deep subject matter expertise with team leadership. The Lead Editor oversees the quality and integrity of ICS’s Editorial team’s editorial review work, guides and develops the editors they supervise, and brings both the hands-on skills and the leadership judgment to ensure ICS’s standards are met on every project.

The Lead Editor plays a pivotal role in shaping how ICS approaches its work: setting the quality bar, coaching others to meet it, and building the data systems and analytical frameworks that help us continuously improve.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead editorial review projects
• Lead the team in conducting assigned editorial review projects, including reviews of instructional materials and state social studies standards
• In collaboration with the Editorial Director, define and support project goals; provide ongoing editorial feedback and training to primary reviewers throughout each project
• Conduct final content edits to ensure reviews adhere to Editorial team guidelines and ICS’s approach on Jews, Judaism, and Jewish history; sign off on final reviews
• Lead development of rubrics to evaluate state standards and instructional materials
• Lead development of an analytical framework to identify patterns in edit acceptance and rejection; generate data-based strategies for increasing edit acceptance
• Contribute to the completion of impact assessments, including monitoring the release of revised versions of reviewed content
• Work with the Managing Editor and colleagues to build and improve the internal guidelines and process documentation that govern review work
• Occasionally support the content development team by contributing subject matter expertise, research, and content as needed

Management

• Supervise editors, including having weekly check-ins and all corresponding performance management responsibilities
• Coach and mentor editors, fostering professional growth and editorial excellence through feedback and training

About You

• Passionate about ICS’s mission and the importance of accurate, high-quality representation of Jews, Judaism, and Jewish history in educational materials
• Editorially rigorous; you hold yourself and others to a high standard of accuracy, clarity, and consistency
• Judicious and mission-aware; you make editorial decisions grounded in knowledge of the audience and a clear understanding of ICS’s approach
• An experienced leader who can coach, give feedback, and develop others without losing sight of your own work
• Analytically minded; you are comfortable building data systems and frameworks and using evidence to improve strategy
• Collaborative and communicative, with the ability to work effectively across a team in a fully remote environment

You Have

• A bachelor’s degree or higher in a relevant field (e.g., Jewish studies, history, education, English, or a related discipline); advanced degree preferred
• Meaningful knowledge of Jews, Judaism, Jewish history, and Israel, with the depth to make sound editorial judgments on complex and sensitive content; academic expertise is valued but not required
• 5+ years demonstrated experience leading editorial projects from start to finish, with responsibility for quality and final sign-off
• 2+ years management or mentorship experience; you have supervised, coached, or formally developed other editorial professionals
• Strong editorial skills: the ability to edit for accuracy, consistency, tone, and adherence to organizational guidelines
• Experience working with or developing rubrics, evaluation frameworks, or data collection tools to assess content quality
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to give clear, constructive editorial feedback

Preferred

• Experience in a nonprofit, educational, or mission-driven editorial environment
• Experience developing or refining editorial guidelines, checklists, or process documentation
• Familiarity with K–12 social studies curriculum, state standards, or instructional materials publishing is a significant asset

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability insurance
• An employee flexible spending health care and dependent plan
• A 401(k) program with organizational contribution
• Generous paid vacation and health and wellness time
• Paid time off from December 24-January 1st
• Paid time off for federal holidays
• Paid time off for Jewish holy days that fall during the work week, as well as floating holidays for those who observe other holy days
• Professional development budget and time off